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Topic: Primal Diet (Read 4146 times)

Has anyone here tried this? I just wanted to share because it's working so well for me! I've put off 70 pounds so far, although I still have a long way to go, heh. For anyone who wants to know, the Primal diet works like this...

Stuff you don't eat:

No wheat EVERNo grains in generalNo corn or HFCS - fresh sweet corn in the summer when it's in season might be an exception.No beansNo sugar - honey is acceptable in small amountsDairy is OK if you tolerate it, but not necessarily encouragedSweet potatoes are okay, regular potatoes less soNo brown rice. White rice is okayish if you want starch for some reason.

Stuff you do eat:

Veggies! Lots! All kinds! Meat! I try to get quite a bit of seafood and organ meats.Fruits - don't eat too many thoughNuts - Need to be eaten in moderationChocolate - as dark as you can find it!Water!

Actually, this is more of a lifestyle than a diet, and I'm lovin' it. Has anyone else tried it? I think it's amazing!

I'm a convert too. I did the HCG diet and lost 26 pounds then moved over to primal for long term and lost another 34. Love the style of eating. I've had stomach issues for years and it all cleared up when I didn't add grains or refined sugars back in.

I have a love affair with heavy whipping cream in my coffee, real butter, bacon, nuts and eating spoonfuls of coconut oil. Yep, I use all of that and the weight melted off. I did experience some scary hair loss but the doctor said that it was more a side effect of losing 60 pounds. She was right it came back in just as thick.

DH and I went Primal in Sept. of '11 and did very well for about a year. I lost 15 pounds of fat (size 10 to 6) and he lost about 25lbs. We never felt better! About 4 months ago he gave up tobacco and fell off the wagon. The added stress of trying not to replace tobacco with junk food made it harder for him to quit so we decided to jump off the wagon for awhile. He's safely tobacco free now and we're tired of feeling sluggish and yucky so a few weeks ago we started kicking our butts back into shape.

I'm happy to share some of our favorite recipes if you'd like, and I'd love to hear yours. We are primal but not paleo so we definitely "do" dairy. I actually just stocked up on Kerrygold butter because I found a fantastic deal at Costco! Oh, and coffee made with full-fat grass fed cream and real maple syrup instead of non-fat creamer and artificial sweetener? It's heaven.

Please only do this with either support from a medical professional, or at least some major research. While this diet can be healthy, its very easy for it to fall short of necessary nutrients, especially if a person is picky about certain vegetables and fruits.

I'm a convert too. I did the HCG diet and lost 26 pounds then moved over to primal for long term and lost another 34. Love the style of eating. I've had stomach issues for years and it all cleared up when I didn't add grains or refined sugars back in.

I have a love affair with heavy whipping cream in my coffee, real butter, bacon, nuts and eating spoonfuls of coconut oil. Yep, I use all of that and the weight melted off. I did experience some scary hair loss but the doctor said that it was more a side effect of losing 60 pounds. She was right it came back in just as thick.

Coconut oil is the best!! My favorite treat is a smoothly made with plain Greek yogurt, frozen dark cherries, honey and coconut oil. DH thinks I'm nuts when I lick the spoon after scooping coconut oil into something so I'm glad to hear I'm not alone.

Please only do this with either support from a medical professional, or at least some major research. While this diet can be healthy, its very easy for it to fall short of necessary nutrients, especially if a person is picky about certain vegetables and fruits.

Yes. DH went for a full blood work up after about 6 months, just to be safe.

I've actually discovered a lot of veggies I really enjoy that I'd never tried before because of the need to work more variety into my diet. Also because the biggest diet change we made was to eliminate the nightly serving of starch with dinner and replace it with a 2nd veggie. When you've only really eaten a handful of veg in your life, having those same things night after night gets old FAST.

It sounds great. Thanks for mentioning it. My body has real problems with preservatives and refined foods, especially grains. I'm not sure what I have although I've seen many doctors about it. Going gluten and dairy free hasn't made a difference. I've been limited to eating a lot of the things on your "allowed" list anyway. But I just love wheat and grains and keep eating and keep suffering (nerve pain - tingling sensations after I eat). My solution has been to mostly stop eating which isn't the healthiest long term solution. I'll educate myself more on this diet.

ETA: JenJay, please, do share some of your recipes. Maybe I can try this diet for a week and see if my pain decreases.

The main thing is to check the ingredients of everything you buy and avoid all the fillers and junk. I was shocked how many things contain hydrogenated oils, wheat and various forms of sugar. The other big change we made was to stop serving a rice or pasta side with dinners and do an extra veggie. Also, we still do mashed potatoes sometimes but we've found other veggies that work instead for other dishes, like carrots and cabbage instead of red potatoes when we do pot roast. Oh, and I've also learned that any type of meat and cheese combo that I like on a sandwich I'll also like on a salad or just rolled up together on a plate with some olives and a handful of fresh berries.

Some of my family's favorites, off the top of my head...

We use almond meal as a substitution for bread crumbs and it works very well. DH makes killer chicken strips by cutting breasts into pieces slightly larger than bite sized and sprinkling them with seasoning salt. Next he mixes up equal parts almond meal and fresh Parmesan cheese (we buy it in big bags at Costco and keep it in the freezer), he puts some garlic and pepper in the coating mixture. Next he heats about 1/4C each of bacon grease (we buy nitrate-free bacon and save the grease) and olive oil in a big skillet. Dredge the chicken through some beaten egg, then through the coating mixture, then fry for a few minutes on each side. Honestly the best chicken strips I've ever had! He's used the same coating to do zucchini and eggplant slices and they were really good, too.

*My kids' favorite thing is meatloaf. It took forever to find a good recipe and this is based off one I found on the "How to cook everything" app.

1 beaten eggGarlic, onion and pepper to taste Blend a bit more and add

1lb hamburger1lb Italian sausage (I generally use mild, although hot is good if you like some kick)Mix well

Dump it out onto a broiling pan and mold it into a loaf shape. Top with a few slices of bacon if you like. Bake at 350 for an hour.

*http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/olive-gardens-zuppa-toscana-soup-recipe/It's ridiculous how good this soup is! The first time I made it we all thought it was a bit salty and had too much potato so the 2nd time I changed the broth to water ratio from 8/2 to 6/4 (using a good chicken stock instead of broth) and used 2 potatoes. It was fantastic!! I always double this now because it reheats really well.

*I had a couple of favorite pre-paleo recipes (jambalaya and cajun chicken pasta) that I combine and call "jambalaya" for lack of a better word. I cut up 4 chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle them with Cajun seasoning. Melt a couple tablespoons of butter and sauté the chicken until it's cooked through. Add 4 andouille sausages (sliced into bite-sized pieces) and whatever veggies you like. We do diced tomatoes and diced bell pepper. Sauté that together for 5 minutes or so to soften the peppers. Next I add 1/2 tsp each of basil and lemon pepper, a few shakes each of garlic, pepper and hot sauce, and about a cup of cream. I let it simmer until the cream reduces and thickens a bit (maybe 10 minutes) and serve it on white rice for the kids (DH and I skip it) with some Parmesan sprinkled on top. I think shrimp would be really good in this but my kids don't like it.

*Make burgers (we use 1lb hamburger, 1lb ground turkey and lots of seasoning) and then fix them however you like but wrapped in lettuce leaves instead of on a bun. We do burgers a lot in the summer and have them with fresh fruit salad - apples, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, etc.

*Another yummy soup, this one for the crockpot. I use 4 raw chicken breasts and shred them an hour or so before we eat. I also leave out the corn and tortilla strips but add a can of black beans. Beans are mostly a no on the primal diet but I wanted to fill the soup out a bit. It's just one can, shared among 5 people, and we don't have it too often so I think it's safe. We put shredded cheese and sour cream on top.http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/89539/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup

*My favorite breakfast -Preheat the oven to 400. Butter a ramikin (or use bacon grease) and add 2 eggs, salt and pepper. Top with some shredded cheese (I usually slice a piece of cheddar, break it into little pieces, and drop them in) and a drizzle of cream. Bake for about 20 minutes (sometimes it takes a few minutes longer but my oven is wonky). I like these simple but DH has added all kinds of goodies (they go in first, eggs on top) like ham, sausage, bell pepper, salsa, spinach, leftover taco meat, etc.

*We buy a really good quality protein powder and sometimes when I don't feel like cooking I'll mix that up in milk and have it for breakfast or lunch. I don't do this often, and never for two meals on the same day, because it's important to eat whole foods but I'm lazy and I run the risk of procrastinating until I'm starving and then I'm too tempted to reach for the kids' cereal or frozen burritos . The vanilla is really tasty added to smoothies, too, so that makes a good breakfast or snack.

Honestly, I find that a lot of these type of diets rely on either misinformation or twisting scientific results to fit their agenda. I highly recommend doing your own research for *any* diet, and not relying on what a book says is good for you. I'm glad that it is encouraging people to increase their intake of fruits and veggies, and reduce the amount of sugar and empty carbs, though. Several of my friends are enthusiastic paleo converts, so perhaps I am a bit biased due to the constant deluge of misinformation from them.

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I've tried looking online, but the couple of articles I found had nasty (and mostly untrue) things about veganism and vegetarians.

Could someone give me an example of what a normal menu for the day would be like?

My diet has bothered me for some time. Im a vegetarian, but I seem to be stuck in a rut. I also don't feel very good. I can't cook very well and my regular dishes feel so heavy sometimes.

A veggie would definitely want to talk to a medical professional (Dr, dietician, nutritionist, etc) before cutting out beans and grains, especially if restricting dairy and limiting nuts. Yes there is protein in vegetables, but without beans, nuts and grains, getting enough could be a real issue.

I don't eat a primal diet but I do what is called eating clean. I am also gluten free. The basics of eating clean are to eat organic whenever possible, avoiding processed and refined foods, and shopping with a conscience. It seems to have a lot in common with primal eating but is not quite as restrictive.

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